one small find
by breahunt
Summary: can one lost person really change that much in other peoples lives?
1. Chapter 1

i do not own Naruto!

* * *

The third Hokage was thoroughly enjoying this nice and quiet evening. Almost all of the missions had been completed and finalized, the paper work was finished just a half hour ago, and there was this nice warmth coming in through the window behind him. Ohh yes it was a nice afternoon to relax in the office and just take a load off.

'_Hmm, Kakashi should be returning sometime later from his mission, maybe I'll be able to go home on time.' _A small smile crept onto the old man's lips.

A few minutes passed before there was a knock on the door. The Hokage sat up straight and heaved a sigh.

"Come in."

The door opened to make way for a tall figure of a man. His silver hair sticking up and to the left, he was wearing the standard Shinobi uniform of blue long sleeve shirt and pants, black Shinobi sandals, and the green Jounin vest. His mouth was strangly covered by a blue cloth while his ninja headband was on his forhead but pulled down to cover his left eye.

"Ah, Kakashi I wasn't expecting you for a couple more hours. Why are you so early?" The old man questioned.

"Mah, well I ran into a slight problem, but we can get to that later." Kakashi put both hands into his pockets. "Anyway upon my infiltration on Orochimaru's base, I encountered no traps or guards. No one was there, so I got in pretty easily and as I was making my way through the base nothing popped out to get me, no one came to stop me. Nothing. There were no people, no objects, no beds, no rats, no poisons, and no experiments'. The whole place was empty Sir, so it took no time at all to inspect the place."

The Hokage nodded his head with a thoughtful look on his face. "Well, then it makes sense now why you are so early. Ah, you did say that you ran into a problem?" A brow was raised to enforce the question.

"Hai, so after I inspected the whole base, I summoned Pakun and his group to help scout out any scents, just in case I missed something. We went through the entire base again. Nothing was found until we got to the deepest level, the basement well more like a dungeon actually. It was faint but the hounds had found a scent. Only one scent, that belonged to a girl believed to be dead. When we got to the village I took her to the hospital immediately."

The Hokage was speech less, a girl was found by herself in a place that was completely empty? "And who do you believe this girl is Kakashi?"

"Sir, you might not believe me but you should come with me to the hospital and bring the file containing the real information concerning the Jinjuriki."

* * *

_The surrounding area was completely empty, there was no sky, or ground, or water. Just a vast emptiness. _

_*sniff sniff*_

"_Shh, calm yourself little one there is nothing to be afraid of."_

"_B-But someone was just here, and now he's gone, our only chance to leave this place is gone."_

"_Nonsence, there will be more than one chance to leave this place. You must be patient."_

_*sniff*_

"_I-I'll try, I don't want to be here forever."_

"_It will be alright, I'll will always be here for you. You will never be alone."_

"_Thank you Amber. You're the only friend I have."_

"_And when you leave this place, you will have even more friends little one."_

* * *

The third Hokage was baffled beyond belief, no matter how many times he looked at the information in front of him he could not believe it.

"Kakashi, how was I not informed of this information? This girl was supposed to be the Jinjuriki instead of Naruto? Why didn't the forth tell me this."

"He didn't really tell anyone Sir, he was trying to keep it low key, so nothing bad would happen. But somehow information leaked out and the girl was kidnapped before even making it to the boarder."

The old man turned to the bed where a girl of 7 years was lying in. She was a thin thing probably from lack of proper nutrients. She was pale skinned and had bright red hair that reminded the Hokage of a young woman who passed away 5 years ago. She was currently wearing a breathing mask to help the oxygen flow going.

"Well if this girl is really Kohaku, then we should find out soon when the blood tests come back. We should let her rest some more. Come Kakashi, we have a lot to do today."

* * *

_*sniff sniff*_

"_Little one, the signature is back…"_

"_I-it is?"_

"_Yes, can you feel it? Try to feel it like I showed you."_

…

"_I-I can! He's coming back! But I feel something else too, but it feels smaller."_

"_Yes your right, they feel like…dogs. They probably caught your scent little one."_

"_They're coming closer!"_

"_They finally found you; you finally get to leave this place."_

* * *

"Hokage-sama the blood test are in, here are the results."

"Ah, thank you Doctor." As the Doctor turned to leave the Hokage returned to his office and sank into his chair. "Well Kakashi let's see if she is indeed Kohaku Haruno."

Kakashi gave and nod as the old man quietly read the contents of the paper.

*tick-tock tick-tock*

A forced sigh finally broke through the quiet atmosphere. "Well Kakashi, you were right, that girl is the daughter of Iyoku Haruno and Sango Uzumaki."

"Now what do we do Sir."

"Now we get Aki Haruno in here and tell her that her niece is alive and well. And we update Kohaku's citizenship papers and put them in the system."

Aki Haruno was a strong willed and independent woman. She took pride in herself and didn't get pushed around from others and if you so much as snubbed her she would turn up her nose and ignore it. So when the Hokage's Anbu came to her door ordering her to go to the Hokage's office with no explanation, she went with confidence knowing she didn't do anything wrong.

When Aki had entered the office, the old man just gazed at her and took in her appearance. The Harunos blond hair was just to her shoulders and her blue eyes were set in a determined glare, but he could still see a bit of sadness in her gaze. As Aki took a seat she crossed her arms across her chest and looked to the leader of the village.

"Good Evening Mrs. Haruno, how was your evening?" the kind man asked.

"Well, it was going just fine, until a certain Anbu demanded I come here with no explanation at all."

"Ah, I am sorry about that, I actually didn't tell him why I called you here. My apologies."

That statement caused a slightly shocked look to cross Aki's face, but only slightly.

"Anyway, I called you here, because early this morning I sent one of my Jonin's to scout an empty and abandoned base of Orochimaru's. Nothing of interest was found until one of his nin-dogs caught a scent of a little girl in the base. She was brought back her and treated. We even identified her." With that last statement the Hokage reached for a few papers that were on his desk and sat them on the edge facing the blond. She, whoever, didn't make a move for it, but with her arms still crossed she leaned forward with an indifferent look on her face and glanced at the top paper.

The Hokage wasn't sure when it happened but when he focused he glance back to the woman, tears were running down her face. Slowly she uncrossed her arms and with shaky fingers grasped the papers and brought them closer to her.

"W-What is this? Is this some kind of joke! Why are you showing this to me!?" the woman cried out. In her hands was a slip of paper with a photo attached, and staring back at her were the same blue/green eyes that had haunted her for the past 5 years. Those same eyes and that same red hair; the same child. The little girl that she was supposed to take care of when she had come to the village, her 2 year old niece Kohaku Haruno.

"Why are you showing me this?" It was a low whisper, but the Hokage was able to hear it all the same. He didn't make a sound, so when Aki looked up at him all he did was spin his finger in the air.

"There is another page."

Aki looked back to the page in her hand and slowly turned to the second on. A small gasp escaped her lips and she gazed at the new photo. The figure was older and wasn't looking at her, but she could still tell that it was Kohaku, her hair was a giveaway, no matter how much longer it was than the other photo.

"This…this is Kohaku? But it's not possible! She's dead, isn't she!?" Aki asked with disbelief.

"I know it must be a lot for you to take in, but your niece is alive and well." The Hokage stated softly with a smile.

Aki Haruno, the strong willed and independent woman, cried and cried in relief.


	2. Chapter 2

i do not own Naruto!

* * *

It took a good while before Aki got over her crying.

"She's alive? Kohaku is alive. How?! When did you find her?!"

"Yes, she is very much alive, she was found earlier today on a scouting mission. When she was brought to the village she was taken care of and treated for wounds. We also took a blood sample to confirm her identity and she is indeed Kohaku Haruno.

The Hokage glanced up to see Aki and to his surprise tears where streaming down her face.

"I-I feel s-so guilty, all this time she was alive and I had been sulking for 5 years over her supposed death, but the worst part is that I took it out on that poor boy. I denied him a family he could have had. I denied him the love he could have known. I denied him of so much just because I failed my brother in keeping Kohaku safe. I don't deserve this guilt to be taken from me.

To say the Hokage was shocked was shocked was an understatement. Aki was a strong woman and never blamed herself for anything. This must have been the sadness that lay deep within her heart.

"Sir, you called me here to take her in, didn't you?" Aki muttered.

"Yes I did, you are her family now." He responded.

"I have a request. I know it might be too late, well 5 years too late, but Naruto, I'll take him in. I won't adopt him because I don't deserve to after the way I abandoned him like that, but I will bring him into my home and give him the family he deserves. If he will allow it."

A small smile crept on to the old man's face.

"Well then, shall we call him in and ask?" and with a wave of his hand on Anbu was sent to fetch the 5 year old blond.

* * *

Naruto was a young free-spirited boy who loved to get in to trouble, pull pranks and just laugh at other people, but the truth was, he did it only for the attention it gave him. Without the chaos and laughter his pranks brought all he got were sneers and rude comments. He was not a monster, he was human. He was Naruto Uzumaki.

So when the Anbu came to tell him he was needed by the Hokage, Naruto couldn't pass up the opportunity to prank. The young boy reached into his pockets and pulled out some smoke bombs that he found lying around one day. He quickly threw them towards the Anbu and when the explosion set off the boy turned around and headed to a rooftop to watch as the Anbu attempted to find him. When they left in the opposite direction the blond let out a cackle and headed to the Hokage Tower. The young boy hadn't seen the old man in a whole week. A huge smile lite up his face at the thought of seeing him again.

When Naruto got to the door leading into the office he didn't necessarily knock, he just barged right in what a big foxy grin on his face.

"Old man! You called for me?" The little boy exclaimed. Naruto opened his eyes and glanced around to see that someone else was in the old man's office. He knew this lady, he saw her a couple of times at the park picking up Sakura.

"Uh, I didn't do anything to Sakura, I swear!" Naruto yelled while waving his hands in the air like he was warding off danger.

A small chuckle caused the young boy to turn towards the Hokage.

"No Naruto that is not why you are here. A certain event just led someone to finally see the error of her ways. Naruto you know Sakura's mother, Aki Haruno correct?" the elderly man questioned.

Sensing no danger in the question the little boy lowered his arms and raised a brow.

"Yes? I know her."

"Tell me, what do you think of her?"

The boy opened his mouth but stopped short. This was the weirdest and strangest question he had ever been asked.

"Um… well, she's not bad. Doesn't call me names or give me ugly looks like all the other villagers. Most of the time she just looks at me with this blank empty look in her eyes, but its not cold like the others, just…sad looking?"

The grownups in the room where flabbergasted. Neither knew that this 5 year old boy would be so perceptive.

"Hmm. That's good then. Naruto we have something very important to tell you. We don't want you to be mad or jump in right away. We want you to think about every possibility okay?"

"Uh, okay?" the little boy was very confused.

"Naruto, this woman right here is your Aunt. She wants to ask you a very important question, one that can change your life forever and I hope you choose the answer that will make you happy." The Hokage gave the young boy a stern look willing him to agree.

The little boy was stunned, shocked beyond his wildest dreams, and those dreams were pretty amazing for a 5 year old. His whole body was frozen in anticipation but somehow he was able to nod at the Hokage's insistence.

Aki was nervous, extremely nervous. She didn't have experience in asking for forgiveness. Aki inhaled to try and dispel the anxiety in her system. She finally turned to the boy and braced herself.

"Naruto, I am terribly sorry for my behavior towards you. I am a horrible Aunt and I don't deserve any kindness from you, but I want to make it up to you. I want to make it right."

Naruto was so shocked he couldn't even breath, no one had ever been this kind to him. Never in his 5-year-old life had he thought he would find someone who treated him with kindness like this.

"When your parents died, I should have adopted you right away. I should have but I didn't because I was stricken by quilt, quilt from long ago and guilt from a promise broken, but I want to make it right. Not by adopting you, cause I don't deserve that right anymore, but I want you to come live with Sakura and me. Live with your family, like you were meant to. If you'll have us." Aki finished her statement with her head bowed in the little boys direction.

When no answer was heard Aki thought the worst. '_He doesn't want to be with us.'_ Why would he when she had ignored him all this time? So of course he wouldn't agree. Aki looked up with a defeated look in her eyes to see the younger boy. What she met wasn't the one she was expecting; instead of rejection was… something else entirely.

The look on the young boys face was one of pure delight, this lady wanted to let him live with her and give him a home? No, his AUNT wanted him with her, this was a dream come true. He was finally going to have a real family, a real home. Naruto wasn't able to stop the tears streaming down his face; he wasn't so sure that he wanted them to stop either.

Aki started to freak out when she saw his tears and started to assume that he didn't want to come. "Naruto, its okay, if you don't want to come with me, you don't have to." An even greater shock overcame her when the young boy jumped out of his seat and hugged her, his small arms barely able to reach behind her waist and his head buried into her stomach.

The Hokage took in the scene with a gentle smile and nodded approvingly.

* * *

"Ne ne, where are we going Auntie?" Naruto asked already getting used to the idea of having an Aunt. They were currently walking down the hallways of the hospital.

The nickname caused Aki to smile and looked down at the little boy whose hand she had been holding since leaving the Hokage Tower.

"Were going to go check up on your cousins, she's here at the hospital."

"Sakura is in the hospital? What happened?" Naruto exclaimed.

Aki chuckled at the conclusion the boy had come up with, making Naruto frown. "No, it's not Sakura. You have another cousin, her name is Kohaku. When she was really young she was kidnapped, but early this morning they found her and she was hurt so they brought her here to the hospital."

When Aki looked to the boy she was surprised at the smile on his face. "Cousin? I have 2?"

The elder Haruno nodded.

"Wow. Family just keeps popping up out of nowhere!"

She couldn't help it, Aki burst out in laughter causing the boy to give her really weird looks.

"You know Naruto, you don't have to be bound by blood to be family, when you find yourself really good friends they will slowly make their way into your heart and become your family also."

Naruto looked down to the ground. "I don't think that will ever happen." His dejected voice rang in Aki's ears causing her to stop walking. The elder woman kneeled down in front of the boy and put both hands onto his shoulders.

"Naruto never think like that. It might not happen overnight. It might take a couple of weeks but you will make friends, really good friends, and when you show them the kind of person you are they will want to be your friend in an instant. It takes awhile for the friendship to form, but the wait is worth it. You'll see."

A big foxy grin appeared in the young boys face as he hugged her once again. No one had ever given him encouragement like that, except for the old man, but it sure was different when it was a family member who did it.

"Now then, let's go see Kohaku."

* * *

'_Little one,_ _it's time for you to wake up. Do you feel the warmth? The sleeping agents have been fully cleansed from you blood, it's time for you to open your eyes.'_

'_But I don't want to leave you!'_

'_Don't worry, you can always come see me when you are asleep or when you are meditating. Just imaging my presence and I will come to you.'_

'_Okay then I will go, but I will see you again.'_

'_Of course little one, farewell for now.'_

* * *

The lights were bright and stung her eyes and the walls were so white. Was she really awake? The surrounding were the same as when she was in her mind. White and bright, they were the same, but the feeling in the air was different.

"…she can't talk, her vocal cords were ripped out and the scar is very old. Three years if I'm right. Other than that she is perfectly fine. No other scars or lacerations, the doctor said she can be checked out when she awakens."

Her head turned to the voice to see two figures conversing. About her most likely, she hadn't been able to talk for as long as she could remember. Where was this place?

Slowly the young girl moved a hand to her forehead, she was starting to get one of those… headaches? Was that what they were called?

"Auntie! Old man, she's awake!"

The loud voice caused the girl to jump slightly and see a small boy. He was younger than her with bright blue eyes and striking blond hair. The shirt he was wearing was white with an orange swirl in the center, and green cargo shorts.

"Ah Kohaku your awake, a lot earlier than we anticipated." The sound of her name made her turn to the two figures again, and old man with gray hair and white robe and a young woman with short blond hair and white dress. What was with all the white?

The elder man gave a low chuckle, "You seem a little lost Kohaku. Let me explain, I am Hiruzen Sarutobi the Hokage of this village."

Hokage? Village? There was a huge questioning look on the young girls face.

"Ah, the Hokage is a leader of a village. This village is Konoha or the Village Hidden in the Leaves. One of my Anbu found you while on a mission to scout Orochimaru's base, and brought you back here."

Kohaku nodded in understanding before her gaze drifted to woman standing beside him. Something about her looked strangely familiar, like she had seen her before but couldn't remember where.

The Hokage noticed the questioning look and gesture to Aki, "This is your aunt Aki Haruno, you probably don't remember her much since you haven't seen her in a couple years. We weren't sure about your parents where about and we still aren't. So until then your aunt is going to take care of you. Is that all right with you?"

The adults could see the recognization in the young girl's eyes now but it caused Aki to become confused.

"You recognize me? Kohaku you have never seen me before, the only reason I knew what you looked like was because your parents sent me a picture of you weeks before you were supposed to be sent here."

Kohaku started pointing wildly at Aki when the word 'picture' escaped her lips.

"You got a photo as well?" Kohaku nodded, then using her fingers made a scissoring motion and pretended to cut the air.

"It got destroyed?" The girl nodded again.

"Well then I am glad you get to unite with your aunt finally. Aki I'll go sign off on her release forms so you guys can go on home, I'm sure Sakura is wondering where you are."

"All right, thank you Sir." Aki bowed and the Hokage walked out the door.

The elder blond turned to the girl to find her staring hard at Naruto and the little boy staring just as hard.

"Kohaku meet your cousin, Naruto why don't you introduce yourself?"

The little oby gave a huge grin, "I'M NARUTO UZUMAKI!"

Naruto Uzumaki? Uzumaki, why did that name sound so familiar? Uzumaki…wait, wasn't that mother's name before she married father? Kohaku's face suddenly had a very sad look to it.

Aki could see that she had figured it out Naruto's secret, the very one that was meant to be her own. They were going to have to talk about this later on.

"Yupp, this is Naruto, your cousin but we can talk more later on. We have to get home before Sakura freaks out.


	3. Chapter 3

Sakura was crying again. The kids at the park had been picking on her and she didn't stand up for herself, no one ever did. She wasn't brave enough to face them, thou countless encounters had proven that she was smarter then they were. The little girl's light pink hair was all messed up from the girl's who had been pulling it. Where was mother? She was usually here to comfort her after stuff like this, but she wasn't home.

**sniff-sniff**

The sound of the door opening caused the girl to perk up and walk to the hallway.

"Ma-ma?" When Sakura got to the end of the hall she stopped short and hid behind the entryway. Slowly she peeked her head back out so only half of her face was showing. "Ma-ma?"

Aki looked up from helping Naruto take off his sandals and looked to see half her daughters face in the entryway. She could clearly see the tear stains on her cheeks.

"Sakura did those girls bully you again? Kohaku you can do your own shoes right?" Aki questioned as she glanced at the girl while taking off Naruto's other sandal. The red head in question smiled and glanced down at her already naked feet and her borrowed slippers beside her.

Aki nodded and patted Naruto's head before making her way over to her daughter. She picked up the little girl and motioned for the other two to follow her. Naruto looked a little hesitant before Kohaku took his hand and lead him after their aunt.

The two followed Aki to the kitchen where Aki sat Sakura on the countertop and started to take out items from the fridge.

"Kohaku, Naruto, go ahead and sit at the table. What would you like to have for lunch?"

"RAMEN!" Aki turned from the fridge to stare at the little boy to see a wide grin on his face. Kohaku just shrugged when her gaze traveled to her.

"Okay, sandwiches it is." Aki pulled out some deli meat, cheese, mayo and pickle slices. As she was fixing the sandwiches she turned back to Sakura who was currently giving her a very questioning look.

"So honey, what were those girls teasing you about now?"

The girl blinked a few times before responding. "They were making fun of my hair, calling me weird cause it wasn't natural."

"Oh. And what color do they think is natural?" Aki questioned but found Sakura wasn't paying any attention to the conversation. The young girl was too busy giving curious looks to the two new people in her home.

Aki chuckled and put some chips on the finished plates. She brought two to the table and gave them to Kohaku and Naruto.

"Here you go guys, eat up. Tomorrow we can have ramen."

Turning back to the counter she gave Sakura her plate and watched her daughters green eyes glancing back and forth between the newcomers.

"Honey?" Sakura quickly looked to her mother. "What hair color is natural?"

"Oh, they said brown and black." Sakura's eyes went back towards the table.

"And what color was the girl's hair? Hmm?" she questioned with a knowing smile.

The girl was silent for a while before looking back towards her mother. "Purple, green and blue."

"Ahuh, so if they said that your hair is not natural, then their hair is not natural either, is it?"

"No…it's not," Sakura's face lit up wth a smile before turning back to a frown, "but then why were they teasing me?"

"Maybe because their jealous. I mean have you seen their hair? Their mothers don't know what they're doing, do they?" A sly smirk crawled up her face.

The pink haired girl squealed with laughter.

"Feel better?"

"Yes, thank you ma-ma!" Her green eyes went back towards the table, causing Aki to roll her eyes.

"Did you want to ask something? They won't bite."

"Why is Naruto here?" she asked while pointing a finger, causing the boy to look up from his chips to stare at Sakura. "And who is she?" Her finger moved to point over to the red head who she had never seen before.

A small smile came to Aki's face. "Well you know Naruto, and this is Kohaku. They are going to live with us from now on, since they are your cousins and all."

The girl's green eyes widened in shock. "Cousins? Naruto is my cousin, since when?"

Oh boy this was going to be a long conversation

* * *

Sakura had surprisingly taken the news rather well. She was ecstatic, but then again who wouldn't be when you were an only child for a while then get two sibling figures. She was glowing with glee since her and Kohaku's hair was the same color. It almost made them look like sisters.

The young girl was currently sitting beside Kohaku sitting on the living room couch and playing with the older girl's hair. "Onee-chan, your hair is so pretty! I wish my hair was red like yours." Sakura gave a pout with putting a hair tie into the red tresses.

Kohaku took out a writing pad that Aki had given her earlier saying how it would be easier to talk with Sakura and Naruto. The pink haired girl looked over Kohaku's shoulder to see what she was writing.

Sakura green eyes squinted and slowly read the words. "Pink us pret-pretty too." Her nose squished up in distaste. "No it is not. I don't like it, it's stupid."

Kohaku started to write again. **'Let me play with your hair now' **Sakura sighed and moved in front of the older girl. "Fine but there is nothing you can do to make it look nicer."

The red head just smiled and ran her fingers threw the pink locks. The younger girl always did like when people played with her hair, it was always very calming. Sakura sad there relaxed and still, eyes staring straight ahead.

Kohaku's notebook flashed in front of Sakura's face and startled her. **'Done!' **Sakura stood up and went to the bathroom mirror to see the finished product. Her hair was still down but there was a fish tail braid that went from one side of her head all the way around to the other and was clipped down with a green bow clip. A wide smile appeared in her face as she raced back to the living room.

"I love it! It's so pretty, thank you Onee-chan!" Kohaku smiled and nodded before turning towards the end of the couch. Naruto stood there with a questioning look on his face.

'**Naruto, what's wrong?'** Kohaku flashed her notebook towards the boy but he didn't react. Kohaku stood up and made her way to the boy. **'Naruto can you read?' **Naruto just stared at her.

Sakura came bounding over to them and looked at the notebook.

"Naruto, Kohaku asked you what was wrong." Naruto turned towards Sakura and shook his head. "Nothing, I'm just a little bored, and why is Haku-nee writing instead of talking?"

"Onee-chan can't talk remember, so to communicicate she has to write… Naruto can you not read?"

Said boy slowly shook his head. "No one taught me how." He whispered.

"MA-MA!"

Aki came into the living room with a wash cloth in her hands. "What's wrong Sakura? Why are you yelling?"

"Ma-ma Naruto doesn't know how to read!"

Aki looked from Sakura to Naruto and raised a brow, "Really? Naruto, can you not read?" The little boy shook his head.

"Well then we're just going to have to teach you then aren't we? You can't go into the academy without knowing how to read, can you?" A sly smile came up onto her face.

A wide eyed look came to the boys face. "Really? You'll teach me?"

"Of course!"


End file.
